The Impact of Cool Roofs on Indoor Temperature, Thermal Comfort, Cognitive Effort and Learning Outcomes.

Last registered on May 30, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
The Impact of Cool Roofs on Indoor Temperature, Thermal Comfort, Cognitive Effort and Learning Outcomes.
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0012888
Initial registration date
February 20, 2024

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
March 06, 2024, 12:44 PM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Last updated
May 30, 2024, 9:55 AM EDT

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Benston John
Affiliation
St. Stephen's College, Delhi University
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
E Somanathan
PI Affiliation
Indian Statistical Institute
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PI Name
Rohini Somanathan
PI Affiliation
Delhi School of Economics
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2024-02-21
End date
2024-07-31
Keywords
Education, Environment & Energy
Additional Keywords
Classroom, temperature, thermal comfort, cognitive effort, learning outcome, India
JEL code(s)
I21, I25, Q54
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Temperature levels affect a range of important outcomes including productivity and learning. In this context, we are interested in looking at low cost solutions aimed at reducing ambient temperatures in anganwadis (a government run system of child care in rural India). Through our collaboration with the Energy Management Centre (EMC) of the state of Kerala we will be using roof paint with a high Solar Reflective index(SRI) to cool the roofs in anganwadis using a randomised controlled design. The study will look at the impact of cool roofs on indoor temperature, thermal comfort and also on attendance and cognitive effort of anganwadi students. We will be using administrative data on attendance along with data from primary surveys.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
John, Benston, E Somanathan and Rohini Somanathan. 2024. "The Impact of Cool Roofs on Indoor Temperature, Thermal Comfort, Cognitive Effort and Learning Outcomes.." AEA RCT Registry. May 30. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.12888-3.0
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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Roofs in anganwadis will be converted to cool roofs by using white paint with a high Solar Reflective Index (SRI). The intervention will be undertaken using a randomized controlled design.
Intervention Start Date
2024-03-04
Intervention End Date
2024-04-10

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Indoor temperature, thermal comfort of staff, attendance and cognitive effort among children.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Thermometers will be installed in anganwadis for measuring temperature.
Thermal comfort of staff will be measured from questions in a primary survey using a Likert scale.
Cognitive effort among children will be measured using age appropriate puzzles.
Administrative data on attendance will also be used.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Anganwadis in 5 panchayats (a unit of local self government in India) of Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala with a plain, exposed concrete roof were randomized into treatment and control groups. Individual Anganwadis were randomised into treatment and control groups in each panchayat.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Random assignment using a coin flip
Randomization Unit
Individual anganwadis in each panchayat were randomized into treatment and control groups.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
68 anganwadis
Sample size: planned number of observations
Around 680 students in anganwadis
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
36 anganwadis in treatment group
32 anganwadis in control group.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IFMR Human Subjects Committee
IRB Approval Date
2024-02-09
IRB Approval Number
N/A
Analysis Plan